New Series of SUNPRENE™ PVC Elastomer Offering Superior Cold Resistance

Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation (“MCC”; Head office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President: Hitoshi Ochi) has launched full-scale sales of its new series of PVC elastomer, “SUNPRENETM,” which offers an outstanding improvement in cold resistance.

SUNPRENE™ is a PVC thermoplastic elastomer that not only possesses PVC’s intrinsic moldability and oil resistance characteristics, but also adds mechanical properties such as rubber elasticity, thanks to MCC’s unique compound technology, and has applications in a broad range of fields such as automotive components and building materials.

In general, PVC’s mechanical properties are highly temperature-dependent, and it is very susceptible to changes in the usage environment. In low-temperature environments, it becomes harder, resulting in lower elasticity.

The new MCC-developed series marks a significant improvement in the material’s cold resistance, while maintaining PVC’s intrinsic characteristics, due to its unique polymer alloy technology. Therefore, changes in its physical properties are minimal even in low-temperature environments, allowing it to maintain high elasticity. The new series has already been adopted by a major Japanese OEM for exterior molding parts that help prevent excessive wind noise while traveling.

MCC is considering the production of the new series of SUNPRENE™ not only in Japan, but also overseas, including the United States, where the company anticipates strong demand, and plans to cultivate new applications on a global scale.

MCC will continue to expand the SUNPRENE™ lineup to meet the diverse needs of its customers and further accelerate the growth of the performance polymers business.